Egg McMuffin Done Mama’s Way

Anything tastes great on a biscuit. I’m sitting here and trying to think of something that doesn’t taste good on a biscuit, and I can’t come up with a thing.  It’s truly nature’s most perfect food. Okay, not really.  Biscuits are surprisingly easy to make, so it’s hard to imagine why every home in America doesn’t have homemade biscuits on their table as we speak.

This versatile little bundle of carbs is a great brunch item served with honey and preserves. I notice my guests really appreciate that I went that extra mile to make the biscuits rather than to use the poppin’ fresh kind or to pick them up at the store. Last week on our way up to Santa Barbara, my friends and I pulled off the highway in Oxnard and picked up several beautiful baskets of strawberries. When we got home, I immediately  (notice the urgency when dessert is involved) made a batch of these buttermilk biscuits and  fresh whipped cream for a decadently good strawberry shortcake.

But I’m not done extolling the virtues of the biscuit just yet.  My older son, who is a chef, comes home about 11:30 each night after he gets off from work and is very hungry. He doesn’t want to eat dinner type food at that hour and said he’d like something like an Egg McMuffin. And so, Mama’s McMuffin was born. I take a fried egg, melted pepper jack cheese and two slices of crisp bacon, and stick all that in between a fresh buttermilk biscuit.  C’mon, you know it sounds good.

Buttermilk Biscuits

From Bon Appetit Magazine

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening

1 1/4 cups chilled buttermilk, plus additional for brushing biscuits

3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, very thinly sliced, then frozen

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Add shortening.  Using fingertips, rub in shortening until very coarse meal forms. Gradually add 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, tossing with fork until dough just holds together.

Turn dough out onto floured surface; pat out into a 1/4″ thick rectangle about 15″x 10″.  Arrange frozen butter slices over top two-thirds of dough. Fold bottom third over center; fold top third of dough over center (like folding a letter).  Pat dough out into a 3/4″ thick rectangle.  Using a 2 1/2″ – 3″ cookie cutter and pressing straight down without twisting, cut out biscuits.  Transfer to parchment covered baking sheet.  Gather dough and press again to 3/4″ thickness. Cut more biscuits (will make between 10-12) and transfer to sheet leaving about an inch in between biscuits. Using a pastry brush, brush tops of biscuits with buttermilk.

Bake biscuits until puffed and golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool biscuits 15 minutes before cutting.